BC-AP Americas Digest

October 1, 2013

TOP STORIES:

BUDGET BATTLE

WASHINGTON — For the first time in nearly two decades, the U.S. government staggers into a partial shutdown after congressional Republicans stubbornly demand changes in the nation’s health care law as the price for essential federal funding and President Barack Obama and Democrats adamantly refuse. AP Photos. AP Video.

BUDGET BATTLE-AROUND THE CONTROL

NEW YORK — From New York’s Liberty Island to Alaska’s Denali National Park, the U.S. government closed its doors as a bitter budget fight idled hundreds of thousands of federal workers and halted all but the most critical government services for the first time in nearly two decades. By Deepti Hajela. AP Photos. AP Video.

HEALTH OVERHAUL

The core part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul takes hold Tuesday, putting the embattled plan to a new test as tens of millions of Americans who don’t have insurance can start signing up for coverage. AP Photos. AP Video.

UNITED STATES-ISRAEL

WASHINGTON — Despite soothing assurances from Iran’s new leaders, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implores President Barack Obama to keep punishing sanctions in place against Tehran — and even tighten them if the Islamic republic advances its nuclear programs while negotiating with the U.S. By AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace. AP Photos.

VOTING RIGHTS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department is suing the state of North Carolina for alleged racial discrimination over its tough new voting rules, Attorney General Eric Holder announces. By Pete Yost. AP Photo.

IMMIGRATION

WASHINGTON — Immigration overhaul legislation has been dormant in the House for months, but a few Republicans are working behind the scenes to advance it at a time the Capitol is immersed in a partisan brawl over government spending and President Barack Obama’s health care law. By Erica Werner.

BORDER-DREAMERS

LAREDO, Texas — Thirty-four young migrants are in U.S. custody after trying to enter the United States without documents in the latest round of what is becoming a new tactic in confronting what they consider unjust U.S. immigration policies. By Christopher Sherman. AP Photos.

UNITED NATIONS-SYRIA

UNITED NATIONS — Syria’s foreign minister claims that his government is fighting a war against al-Qaida-linked militants who eat human hearts and dismember people while they are still alive, then send their limbs to family members. By Amir Bibawy and Marjorie Olster. AP Photos.

With: UN-SYRIA-HUMANITARIAN AID.

GUATEMALA MASSACRE

RIVERSIDE, California — A former Guatemalan soldier charged with lying on his citizenship application about his alleged role in an army-led massacre three decades ago was on the run from his past and sought refuge in the U.S., a federal prosecutor says. By Amy Taxin.

CUBA-DUAL CURRENCY

HAVANA — Cuba is the only country in the world that mints two national currencies, a bizarre system that even President Raul Castro acknowledges is hamstringing the island’s socialist economy and must be scrapped. Exactly how to do that is the problem. By Peter Orsi. 900 words. By Peter Orsi. AP Photos.

TERROR CHARGES

NEW YORK — A successful accountant who admitted supporting al-Qaida with money and supplies is sentenced to 18 years in prison by a judge who said it was necessary to deter others from developing similar violent aspirations. By Larry Neumeister.

With: TERROR CONVICTION.00

VENEZUELA-US

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Nicolas Maduro announces the expulsion of the top U.S. diplomat in Venezuela and two other embassy employees for allegedly conspiring with “the extreme right” to sabotage the economy and power grid. By Fabiola Sanchez. AP Photos.

ROCK SLIDE-HIKERS

BUENA VISTA, Colorado — Five hikers were killed by a rock slide on a trail in south-central Colorado on Monday, and another was pulled out with injuries and flown to a hospital, authorities say.

BREAST CANCER DRUG

WASHINGTON — A biotech drug from Roche has become the first medicine approved to treat breast cancer before surgery, offering an earlier approach against one of the deadliest forms of the disease. By AP Health Writer Matthew Perrone.

INFERTILITY OVERCOME

NEW YORK — A 30-year-old infertile woman gave birth after surgeons removed her ovaries and re-implanted tissue they treated in a lab, researchers report. By AP Science Writer Malcolm Ritter.

COLOMBIA-EX-URIBE AIDE

BOGOTA, Colombia — A retired police general who was the security chief for former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for four years is arrested and charged with illicit enrichment. By Vivian Sequera.

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

SAN FRANCISCO — Technology is creeping off our desktops and onto our bodies at a fast pace, from clothing that measures how much sunlight you are exposed to, to mood sweaters that change color depending on your emotional state (blue for calm, red for angry). By Martha Mendoza. AP Photos.

CUBA-JESSE JACKSON

HAVANA — The Rev. Jesse Jackson ends a four-day visit to Cuba without getting to visit a U.S. government development subcontractor who is serving a 15-year sentence in the Caribbean nation. By Anne-Marie Garcia. AP Photos.

BUSINESS:

GULF OIL SPILL-TRIAL

NEW ORLEANS — BP lied to the U.S. government and withheld information about the amount of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico after its well blew out in 2010, attorneys tell a judge. By Michael Kunzelman. AP Photos.

AIRLINES FEES

NEW YORK — U.S. airlines are introducing a new bevy of fees, but this time passengers might actually like them. Unlike the first generation of charges which dinged fliers for once-free services like checking a bag, these new fees promise a taste of the good life, or at least a more civil flight. Extra legroom, early boarding and access to quiet lounges were just the beginning. Airlines are now renting Apple iPads preloaded with movies, selling hot first class meals in coach and letting passengers pay to have an empty seat next to them. Once on the ground, they can skip baggage claim, having their luggage delivered directly to their home or office. By AP Airlines Writer Scott Mayerowitz. AP Photos.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT:

TV-BREAKING BAD WISDOM

NEW YORK — Sunday’s “Breaking Bad” turned out the lights on one of the darkest shows in television history. Even as this drama cooked up story lines that celebrated evil and depravity, “Breaking Bad” gleamed with a bright side, too. There were plenty of positive messages for the viewer who acknowledged them during the series’ five-season run. By Television Writer Frazier Moore. AP Photos.

With: TV-BREAKING BAD AUDIENCE.

OBIT-LYLES

LOS ANGELES — A.C. Lyles, who rose from mail boy to producer at Paramount Pictures and became the studio’s longest-serving employee during a tenure that lasted more than three-quarters of a century, has died at age 95. By John Rogers.

TV-CLINTON DOCUMENTARY

NEW YORK — CNN and NBC backout of high-profile television projects about Hillary Rodham Clinton they had been working on for months. By AP Television Writer David Bauder. AP Photo.